HabsWorld.net -- 

Montreal’s top trade chip heading into Friday’s deadline is now off the block altogether.  The team announced on Tuesday that they’ve signed Jake Evans to a four-year contract extension.  The deal, which does not carry any form of trade protection, will carry a cap hit of $2.85 million, a sizable raise on his current $1.7 million agreement.

That raise is well-earned as the 28-year-old is in the midst of a career year offensively.  Evans already has 12 goals and 16 assists through 61 games, putting him one goal and point shy of reaching his previous benchmarks.  Assuming he stays healthy, he should be able to set new career bests at some point down the stretch, even if his 20.3% shooting percentage comes down as expected.

He’s also averaging over 15 minutes per game so while his five-on-five deployment is on the fourth line, he plays a lot more than a typical fourth liner which justifiably pushes the price tag higher than a typical fourth-line middleman.

Of course, production isn’t exactly Evans’ typical calling card.  He has been frequently used on Montreal’s penalty kill, a unit that has been much improved this season.  He sits second in the NHL in SH ATOI at 2:52 per game.  He’s also winning 52.8% of his faceoffs so far, a personal best in that regard.

With Christian Dvorak being eligible for unrestricted free agency this summer and the uncertainty surrounding Kirby Dach after undergoing knee surgery for the second straight year, Montreal’s centre situation for 2025-26 is already in flux.  Now, Evans gives the Habs two veterans locked up for the long haul with Owen Beck and likely Oliver Kapanen getting opportunities in training camp.  There’s still some questions at that position but there’s one less in the bottom six with Evans now sticking around for a while yet.